Gordon Ritchie | April 13, 2021
Last season the impressive rookie WorldSBK effort of Scott Redding (Aruba Ducati) started to go just slightly awry at the two race weekends held at Motorland Aragon. Fast forward several months and he left a two-day private Ducati/Yamaha test session at the same track in the hills of Aragon with the best pace of all, 1:48.780, only 0.013 seconds from the Motorland Superpole record set by eventual 2020 title winner Jonathan Rea at the ‘Teruel’ round last September.
The six-time champ was not at Aragon for these tests (Rea will ride his new Kawasaki there later this month) but Redding’s pace was impressive all the same, especially in cool springtime conditions. He used a Q tire and left with enhanced confidence after improving his bike set-up and then his final pace.
No BMW, Honda, or Kawasaki riders joined in this particular two-day outing.
Second quickest in the latest tests, although well behind his team-mate Redding after the final flurry of quick laps, was 2020 first-time Motorland race winner Michael Ruben Rinaldi, with a 1:49.205.
Redding and Rinaldi made it two factory Ducati riders at the very top while the best Yamaha rider was American Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha), just a tenth or so behind Rinaldi. He felt that day one did not deliver the same grip as the Aragon asphalt did in 2020’s races, especially in the cold morning session, so he rode in the afternoon only. Gerloff also felt that the windy conditions also played their part at times, but he was happy about his bike set-up – even on day one – before he tried some new suspension on day two and put in a final quick lap.
The different – overcast and less windy – conditions on day two gave Gerloff a whole host of useful data after just two days on a track that has seldom favored Yamaha riders. He said of his test, “I am so happy with the amount of information that we now have. We have sorted out a lot of things which allowed us to improve with different temperatures and wind conditions. The wind affects the feeling you have around the whole track, because it completely changes the braking points, as well as how fast the bike can turn into the corners, making some of them feel horrible because you cannot turn at all. That’s why the experience of these two days is so valuable. I know I have a strong bike and I’m happy with how we are working as a team.”
Fastest man on day one, Chaz Davies (Team Go Eleven Ducati) took his 2021 independent Ducati to fourth place overall, at what is one of the most successful venues for him over his long WorldSBK career. Being this fast in testing with more than a month to go before the start of the real racing was a morale boost for Davies, despite losing his factory Ducati seat in the winter. He tried the latest Brembo brake callipers on day two, as well as some suspension advances.
Despite a fall or two Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) scored fifth best time on the final day. The 2020 WorldSSP champion rode extensively in the warmer afternoons to make up time as he learns his way through his rookie WorldSBK season.
Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Ducati) found some improvements in his relative pace at this test, as he moves further along the road to becoming a WorldSBK rider after so many years in the MotoGP paddock. He set over 90 laps on day one.
Another rookie, coming into big-time production racing from a whole different direction, is young Italian Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Ducati). He was seventh overall, confident in his progress and one place ahead of Japanese new boy Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha).
Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha) was ninth overall and one-day stand in for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) Niccolo Canepa was tenth.
Razgatlioglu’s positive Covid test at the recent official Catalunya track tests saw him miss this track outing in Motorland, as he has yet to be passed fit to return to the track. He has been reported as asymptomatic throughout, however.
GMT94 WorldSSP contenders Jules Cluzel and Federico Caricasulo were also at the Motorland test. Cluzel was faster on the final day, recording a 1:53.673 to Caricasulo’s 1:53.777.
The new season for all classes starts between 21-23 May, at Motorland Aragon.
2021 Aragon WorldSBK Test Results
1 |
Scott Redding |
(Duc) |
1:48.780 |
2 |
M. Ruben Rinaldi |
(Duc) |
1:49.205 |
3 |
Garrett Gerloff |
(Yam) |
1:49.439 |
4 |
Chaz Davies |
(Duc) |
1:49.610 |
5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
1:50.209 |
6 |
Tito Rabat |
(Duc) |
1:50.518 |
7 |
Axel Bassani |
(Duc) |
1:51.146 |
8 |
Kohta Nozane |
(Yam) |
1:51.277 |
9 |
Christophe Ponsson |
(Yam) |
1:52.269 |
10 |
Niccolo Canepa |
(Yam) |
1:53.685 |
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